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Why unglazed clay pots should be avoided

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Hello, I must be going...
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Since I was out of town for 4 days I left my recently repotted Darlingtonia seedlings standing in deep water. Normally I top water them at least twice daily. This is what I saw when I came home:

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According to a potter friend of mine all sorts of salts are used in ceramics. Obviously not all of them become inert or incorporated into the material when the clay is fired.
 
G.R.O.S.S. I'm glad that's never happened to me! I love unglazed clay pots.
 
As the salts acumulate and evaporate it is brought tot he surface and when the water evaprates off it leaves behind the salts.

That is a little gross too. Another reason not to use unglazed pots, but I am like Clint. I love the look of unglazed pots. Especialy when it is covered in carpet moss!
 
Oh wow. Is your plant going to be alright?
 
So far they seem ok. I have a topping of live Sphagnum which serves a coal miner's canary function and lets me know if anything is wrong.

I love the look of unglazed pots too. Even when they get a coating of algae on the outside.
 
I'm shipping my donated primuliflora with a glazed pot :D
Thats kinda freaky from the salt accumulation.
 
my unglazed pot does that too...i just clean it off once it starts to accumulate.
it is pretty nasty but i dont believe it will harm the plants, since the salt is being pushed to the outside of the pots rather than to the inside in the soil..
 
what was that about uranium pot's or something?
 
my unglazed pot does that too...i just clean it off once it starts to accumulate.
it is pretty nasty but i dont believe it will harm the plants, since the salt is being pushed to the outside of the pots rather than to the inside in the soil..

Any dissolved solids would to an extent diffuse into the wet medium also. That's why I normally top water only and do not collect the runoff. Any dissolved solids that does get into the medium should get flushed out.

Maybe it amounts to the same thing but why risk it?
 
  • #10
I grow almost all of my succulents in unglazed clay pots for aiding quick water expulsion, and this seems to happen every once in a while.
 
  • #11
never have had that issue but i ALWAYS used brand new unglazed pots....never one with water spots or anything and i also ONLY water with RO water.........if your using tap water(or some bottled spring waters)...occationally using dilute inorganic ferts or insist on using used pots cause they are cheaper you will definatly run into problems with salt accumulation........
 
  • #12
If you really wanted to use terra cotta pots, couldn't you just put a few layers of plastic garbage bags or something around the inside of the pot and then fill that with soil?

-Ben
 
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